Do not look at anybody in terms of friend or foe, brother or cousin; do not fritter away your mental energies in thoughts of friendship or enmity. Seeking the Self everywhere, be amiable and equal-minded towards all, treating all alike. -Shankara

Our minds are fickle things. They tend to fly from one thing to another. We oscillate from one role to the next. One moment we are an employee, the next we might be a mom, we don all these different masks and our minds go with us. Our identity bounces constantly, as do our thoughts.

Rarely are we truly, actually present in the moment. We are where we are physically. But our minds are not. Our minds are thinking about the next thing we have to do. The next place we need to go. The next thing we have to get done. And we tend to think that this next thing is going to make us happy. We forgo happiness consistently and push it off to the future, never meeting it here, as we are never really here.

This brings with us a sense of separation from the world and from others. We get sucked into this unconscious idea that, somehow, “I” am the only “I” that matters. My needs and my wants should take priority and the others, those whom we are separate from, must find their own way. Of course, this is a lie. In truth, we are all intrinsically interconnected, but when we act from our unconscious trances, we behave otherwise.

Mysticism of every tradition strives to alleviate this sense of separation and the peripatetic wonderings of the mind. It seeks to remind us of the which is sacred and that which truly matters. One of the tools that Buddhism uses for this is called the Brahmaviharas, which are also known as the Divine Abodes or the Four Immeasurables. These are:

1. Loving Kindness: We desire to see all beings in the light of loving kindness We wish for all of them, without exception, to have happiness. Because, isn’t this what we all want on our deepest levels?

2. Compassion: We see others in the light of compassion and hope that their suffering diminishes.

3. Empathetic Joy: We take joy in the accomplishments of ourselves and others.

4. Equanimity: This is our learning to accept loss, gain, praise and blame, success, and failure for ourselves and others.

What these tools are doing is bridging that unconscious tendency of separation. They are attempting to show us that we, ourselves, are not the only ones that matter and that all of those around us are human too. They help us to see that we all want happiness and that we are all, deep down, the same.

We all have our suffering, our joys, and our hardships. When we are able to pull ourselves out of our unconscious, myopic view of self-centeredness through practices such as the Brahmaviharas, we can see our fellow beings with love, consciousness, and compassion. In turn, this feels our lives with more joy and bliss.

Scott Goolsby, Philosopher, yoga lover, life coach, teacher of applied spirituality and nonduality, living and loving life in rural Idaho.

Since I was a child, spirituality has been one of the most important components of my life. It brings a deeper meaning and peace to who and what I am and to how I engage with the world. A deeply felt spirituality infuses my normal, mundane life with meaning, uncovering the sacred in the present moment. This brings a sense of peace, liberation, ease, and bliss to our everyday lived experience.

Traditionally, spirituality was believed accessible only to deeply religious individuals, societal renunciates living as monks, or to those who hold traditional religious beliefs and attend church or temple weekly. I disagree with this belief. Spirituality is practical and can be applied to the normal, every day life of anyone. We can all embrace life as it is and connect with our own intrinsic goodness that is here, now, in the moment. Our spiritual connection does not need to be relegated only to temples, yoga mats, or Sunday afternoon church services. Its power is so great and profound that the benefits can be embraced in each facet of our lives.

I have experienced the transformative power of spirit and presence so strongly that I have studied the world’s spiritual traditions for over 20 years and have sought a PhD in Philosophy of Religion. I am creating a way for those looking for a more profound life through spiritual awareness to find it. The ease, contentment, balance, and happiness that can be found via spirituality can be accessed by anyone. I help the CEO to know that he or she can have a more powerful relationship with him or herself and their family because they were able to slow down and see a greater interconnectedness between themselves and the world. I show the working mother with three children how she can find balance and equanimity with her job and home life. I illustrate to everyone how they can look into the eyes of another and see their sacred self smiling back.

Our life situations can be full of stress, worry, and discomfort. I am here to help you find inner contentment, balance, and assist you in uncovering the veil that lies between you and seeing your every day world as sacred. You are already whole and complete and have everything that your mind, body, and spirit need to be fulfilled and liberated emotionally and spiritually. I will help you by pointing you to the beauty and power within you so that you will experience the greatest equanimity and peace this world has to offer.

Please contact me at [email protected] if you would like more information or to set up an appointment.

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“People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.”